canon user. wanting to buy my 1st flash..am pondering between canon 430ii EX or yongnuo 560 (?). pls advise which should i get quality vs price factor? i will be using for general purpose and macro photography specifically.

Yongnuo if u buy high end model is actually quite ok

Depending on budget, if budget allows better get the 580ii for better build.

else the YN 560 wud serve the purpose well enough.

YN560 is considered "decent" for its price... I think Nissin would be more "thoroughly tested" as they're in the 3rd party flash business longer than YongNuo...

If you're not gonna be "machine-gun-shooting" the flash away, I think it should be fine... but for macro purpose... you might want to get something else... or perhaps get a off-hotshoe cable or a radio trigger...

you might consider a used 430 EXII is now selling at around ~RM600... it's much more reliable & better build quality... but being used... depends on your luck on how "used" the flash is la~